Bernadine Lawrence - How to Feed Your Family for £5 a Day

Feeds 4

4 medium-size baked potatoes (see steps 1–2 of Jacket Potatoes)

60g butter

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Split the baked potatoes in half and scoop the cooked potato out of the skins and into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and combine with the butter until golden.

2 Fill the skins with the potato mixture.

– ALTERNATIVELY –

If preferred, add any of these fillings to the mixture before replacing in the skins:

200g Cheddar cheese, grated

400g tin of red kidney beans, drained; 100g Cheddar cheese, grated; 1 tbsp tomato purée

100g Cheddar cheese, grated; 100g bacon, chopped and fried

Cooked kipper fillets (you can find boil-in-the-bag kippers in most major supermarkets); melted butter; juice of half a lemon; ½–1 tsp chilli flakes

2 tins of tuna, drained; 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt

200g cream cheese; 70g smoked salmon pieces

Corn on the Cob

Feeds 4

4 sweetcorn cobs

4 knobs of butter

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 If you’re using corn in silks, shuck the corn by removing the leafy wrapping and the thready corn silks and wash the cobs.

2 Drop in boiling water and cook for 10–15 minutes. Alternatively, boil in milk and water using ordinary or powdered milk. This makes the corn slightly sweeter.

3 Serve hot with butter, salt and pepper.

– ALTERNATIVELY –

Baked Corn on the Cob

For corn cobs in husks

1 If you’re able to get hold of corn on the cob still in its husk, keep the leaves on to retain moisture and bake for 15–20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F), Gas 4. When the outer leaves are beginning to turn brown, it’s ready.

2 Peel back the husks or just pull them off. Pull the silks off the end and serve.

For corn cobs not in husks

If you aren’t able to get hold of corn in husks, just wrap the cobs individually in foil, twisting the ends, and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes at 200°C (400°F), Gas 6.

Tip

To remove corn kernels (cooked or raw) from the cob, stand the corn upright in a wide bowl and, holding the upper end, cut downwards along the cob. Perfect for soups, salads and pies.

Spicy Winter Bean Stew

Feeds 4. Delicious with Corn on the Cob

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1–2 onions, sliced

1–2 garlic cloves, crushed

400g tin of red kidney beans, with their water

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp Marmite or Vegemite

1 tbsp tomato purée

½ tsp chilli flakes

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions and garlic until soft.

2 Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15–20 minutes.

Filled Omelettes

Feeds 4. Makes 1 large omelette .

Method

1 Choose and prepare one of the fillings from the following suggestions for your omelette, or invent your own.

2 Follow steps 1–3 of the basic Omeletterecipe, then add the filling.

3 Wait a few seconds for the mixture to set slightly, then draw the edges into the centre so the uncooked egg can run into the space. Leave to cook for 3–5 minutes on a medium heat until soft or set.

4 Serve flat or fold over a third of your omelette into the centre, then fold over the opposite third. Turn out onto a warm plate.

Chinese omelette

Stir-fry 4 small sliced onions with 60g of beansprouts in a large frying pan for 5–10 minutes. Add 150g of diced or shredded ham or leftover roast chicken with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and season to taste with salt and black pepper, then stir-fry for a further 5 minutes.

Crispy bacon and potato omelette

Boil 3 medium potatoes for 15 minutes until tender and fry 1 or 2 rashers of bacon for 2–5 minutes until crisp. Dice both. Leave the omelette to cook until soft on top, then turn the omelette over with a spatula and brown the other side. Serve flat.

Cheese omelette

Use 60g of grated or diced cheese – Cheddar, goat’s cheese, Emmental and Manchego all work well. Cook the omelette until set, fold in thirds and serve.

Ham and onion omelette

Fry 50g of chopped ham and 1 small finely chopped onion for 5 minutes until soft. Cook the omelette until set.

Omelette with sautéed mushrooms

Fry 50g of sliced button or chestnut mushrooms in a knob of butter, and add just before the omelette sets.

Omelette aux fines herbs

Add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped herbs, such as parsley and chives, or 1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs.

Prawn omelette

Pan-fry 50g of pre-cooked prawns or shrimps for 2 minutes, then add to the omelette before folding. Remember to defrost pre-cooked frozen prawns completely before cooking by wrapping in cling film and placing in a sink of cold water for about an hour.

Omelette with flaked fish

Use 50g cooked, flaked fish, fresh or tinned – salmon, tuna and mackerel all work well, depending on your personal preference. Add to the omelette just before folding.

Farmhouse Cheese and Potato Cakes

Makes 12–16. Feeds 4 as a snack or as part of a main meal

500g potatoes, mashed with butter (for a reminder of how to make mashed potato, see Buttery Mash)

200g grated Cheddar cheese

1 tsp chopped chives

2 eggs, beaten

plain white flour, for dusting

2 tbsp breadcrumbs, spread out on a plate

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas 5. Set aside a little of the beaten egg for brushing.

2 Place the potatoes, cheese, chives and the remaining beaten egg in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and then mix to form a dough.

3 Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a wide sausage shape. Cut the sausage of dough into 12–16 small slices and shape into cakes.

4 Brush with the beaten egg you set aside earlier, and then roll the cakes in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated on all sides. These cakes can be refrigerated until ready to cook.

5 Place in a roasting tin and bake in the oven for 20–30 minutes, or alternatively fry in vegetable or sunflower oil on both sides until golden.

Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon

Feeds 4

30g butter

6 eggs

1 tsp milk

1 tsp salt

60g smoked salmon pieces

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 See Scrambled Eggsbut just before the eggs have set add the salmon and continue to stir until fluffy.

Savoury Bread and Cheese Pudding

Feeds 4–6. A delicious way to use up stale bread, and perfect comfort food

You will need a 20 × 25cm shallow ovenproof dish

12 slices of wholemeal bread, buttered

225g cheese, grated (I find strong Cheddar does the trick)

3 eggs

425ml milk

1 tsp mustard

15g butter or margarine

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas 4. Alternate layers of bread and cheese, starting with bread and ending with cheese, in the ovenproof dish.

2 Beat the eggs, milk, mustard and seasoning together and pour over the bread and cheese. Ideally, let stand for 1–1½ hours.